In a poetic nod to the indigenous people
whose canoes once rippled the Willamette River's waters, TriMet on Wednesday
named Portland's 12th bridge Tilikum Crossing.

In the Chinook Wawa language used by Native American tribes that lived along the region's waterways for centuries,
"Tilikum" means "people." Over time, it has also come to be used to describe
friends.

Although the tribes -- including the
Multnomah and Clackamas people -- have origins dating back 14,000 years, David Lewis, tribal historian for the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde, said many people are unaware of their history and their
connection to what is now a bustling urban landscape.

"This is
an amazing time to bring this name back," Lewis told a crowd of about 300
people gathered outside Northeast Portland's Oregon Museum of Science and
Industry for the naming ceremony.

"A
people's bridge, a people's crossing," Lewis said, with the Mt. Hood-shaped
towers of the under-construction bridge looming in the background. "Tilikum
Crossing is really representative of all the people who live here, not just the
tribes, because it will be the people's bridge. People will cross it -- back
and forth to work -- every day."

For
nearly three years, what will eventually be a 1,720-foot transit bridge --
the cornerstone of the $1.5 billion MAX Orange Line from Portland to Milwaukie
-- has slowly taken shape above the river and from the banks of the Willamette
between the Marquam and Ross Island bridges.

TriMet said it is the first
multi-modal bridge in the U.S. to carry light rail and streetcar trains, buses,
bikes and pedestrians, but no private cars. Lewis sat on a committee of 10 Oregonians from diverse
backgrounds who spent about eight months deliberating.

"The committee spent a tremendous
amount of time and dedication to select a name that speaks to our past, our
future, and the importance of transit connecting our community," said TriMet
General Manager Neil McFarlane.

TriMet boasted that the process was the first time the public was asked to suggest names for one
of Portland's landmark bridges crossing the Willamette River. In the end, the
naming committee received more than 9,500 submissions.

Of
course, it wasn't without controversy. Public records obtained
by The Oregonian and other local news outlets found that Kirk Reeves, the
rush-hour Hawthorne Bridge musician who committed suicide last year, was far and
away the public's top choice.

But
on Wednesday, local historian Chet Orloff, who headed the naming committee,
once again reminded people that it wasn't a popularity contest. The group, he
said, applied a long list of criteria to the nominees, including looking at a name's
origin, whether it reflects how the structure will connect people, its historical
significance, its cultural meaning and its pronunciation.

"In
the end," Orloff said, "we were unanimous in our selection."

Although the spelling of “Tillicum” was initially proposed, the committee selected “Tilikum” because that is how the tribes choose to spell the word. Chinook Wawa, an international language used by the first Oregonians, was an oral language without written words until an amateur linguist tackled it about 160 years ago, Lewis said.

He said the traditional tribal spelling would look something like this: TilixÆm Crossing.

The language, still spoken today, was later used by explorers, fur traders, settlers and the first few generations of Portlanders, Orloff said.

“Tilikum symbolizes coming together,” said Orloff. “It conveys connections, in not only the relationships between people, but in the connections we will make as we ride, walk, run and cycle across this beautiful new bridge.”

For Chet Orloff, the noted historian chosen by TriMet to lead the committee to name Portland's new bridge, Tilikum Crossing made a lot of sense.

The more Orloff thought of the origins of Tilikum, the more he fell in love with it.

“The
bridge conveys this concept of community, which has been basically part
of the river’s history for several thousand years,” he said.
“Because people have been crossing the river by canoe and they have
been crossing the river in groups in canoe, not unlike how people will
be crossing the river on the bridge in transit.”

After
the ceremony, Lewis placed a chain of beads anchored by a large, salmon-colored
shell around Orloff's neck. When a reporter asked what the object was, Lewis
laughed and said, "It's called a necklace."

He
then explained that Chinookans call the ornament a "giveaway." "I decided to honor the
chairman of the committee for all of his hard work," Lewis said.

Tilikum
Crossing, which is 76 percent finished and has reportedly created more than 10,000 jobs, will open at the
same time as the Orange light-rail line, TriMet's fifth, in September 2015.

When asked who would
announce the name of Portland's new Willamette River bridge before Wednesday's
ceremony, TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane gave a wink and said, "It
will announce its own name."

At about 10:30 a.m.,
McFarlane told crowd to look toward the under- bridge and join him in a
countdown starting at "10."

Accompanied by a drum
roll, the enthusiastic crowd shouted the descending numbers in unison. When they
hit "one," the drummer delivered a cymbal rim shot and ... nothing
happened.

The plan was for a giant
vinyl banner – 15 feet tall, 150 feet wide -- to drop and announce
"Tilikum Crossing: Bridge of the People."

A city that had been
waited years for the name of its first car-less transit bridge would apparently
have to wait a little longer.

Responding to a chorus of
laughter, McFarlane reminded the crowd that it was an exciting day. "You
can't blame the banner for having a little stage fright," he said.

A few seconds later, the
banner unfurled to applause.

TriMet said the Tilikum
Crossing's first bridge fail was caused by a communication breakdown. Construction noise delayed
crews on the bridge from hearing the cue to hit the lever to unfurl the banner.